The ever-increasing volume of municipal solid waste is posing irreparable damages to the environment. Urbanization and uncontrolled migration to cities have increased waste production, particularly in large cities.

Tehran Waste Management Organization's managing director said more than 49,000 tons of solid waste is produced in Iran every day.

Hossein Jafari said more than 40 percent of the waste is recycled or disposed in metropolises creating major environmental problems.

He said the disposal of solid waste also poses grave health risks.

Garbage is incinerated in landfills but the proximity of such sites to urban areas and rivers lead to air and water pollution.

Jafari called for raising public awareness about health risks of increased waste production.

Separating garbage at home has been recommended as the best way to cut down the huge volume of garbage.

The official said all citizens should cooperate with municipalities to sort out solid waste.

Garbage can be sorted into 'dry' and 'soggy'. Dry waste includes wood and related products, metals and glass. Soggy waste, typically refers to organic waste usually generated by eating establishments, which are heavy in weight due to their sogginess.

Materials separated from the residue of household waste incineration (provided soggy and dry waste is segregated) can be used in construction and metals production as this can obviate the need for producing certain new materials.

Earlier, Masoumeh Ebtekar, the head of the Department of the Environment, urged municipalities to promote waste management and recycling.

She said waste incineration machines can be used for generating electricity.

Incineration plants are used worldwide for producing electricity. An incineration plant includes a furnace and a post-combustion chamber.

The waste is burned in the furnace in a process called pyrolysis, which produces combustible gases. These are burned in the post-combustion chamber at temperatures of 800° to 900° Centigrade. A heat exchanger — in which very hot water or superheated steam circulates — is used to recover energy from the flue gas emitted.

In April, Nasrollah Abadian, the mayor of Tehran’s District 11, said about 8,000 tons of garbage is disposed in Tehran daily, of which about 400 tons are converted into energy in incineration power plants.